Getting Into NYC Kindergarten

NYC Parents Sound Off on 2021 Kindergarten Admissions: Your Most Commonly Asked Questions… Answered!
admissions · NYC Kindergarten · NYC Parent Voices · NYC School Admissions · Parents Helping Parents · School Choice · School Waitlists · transferring schools

NYC Parents Sound Off on 2021 Kindergarten Admissions: Your Most Commonly Asked Questions… Answered!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Early on the morning of April 8, families began emailing me to report that New York City’s parent portal was acting funny. General Ed Kindergarten results were appearing in the waitlisted section, then promptly disappearing. This is good news, I told them. Based on previous years, when results arrived via blank and garbled documents, this… Continue reading NYC Parents Sound Off on 2021 Kindergarten Admissions: Your Most Commonly Asked Questions… Answered!

NYC Parents Wonder, “If We Leave Now, Will Our Kids Be Allowed To Return To Their Public Schools Later?”
coronavirus · NYC Kindergarten · NYC School Admissions · NYC Schools · School Waitlists

NYC Parents Wonder, “If We Leave Now, Will Our Kids Be Allowed To Return To Their Public Schools Later?”

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Since March of 2020, I have been forced to repeatedly apologize to my readers for not being able to personally answer all of your questions about what is happening (and what will happen) with New York City schools, but there are simply too many for me to keep up with. There is quite a bit… Continue reading NYC Parents Wonder, “If We Leave Now, Will Our Kids Be Allowed To Return To Their Public Schools Later?”

NYC School Application Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong
Accountability · DOE Fails · New York City

NYC School Application Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

Alina Adams1 Comment

It’s Kindergarten application season in NYC! Four year olds are being interviewed for Hunter College Elementary School and getting tested for public school Gifted & Talented programs while their parents are navigating the online portal to apply them to General Education Kindergarten, which includes zoned, unzoned, magnet, dual language options and more. Last year, we… Continue reading NYC School Application Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!
Accountability · Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

New York City families who’d been ripping their hair out for over two months finally learned where their children had been placed for General Education public school kindergarten on March 28th. The results had been posted for nearly a full day before the Department of Education notified anxiously waiting parents that they were available. When… Continue reading How It Really Works: Behind the Scenes of a NYC Public School Waitlist & More Parent Portal Glitches!

These Are the Top 10 NYC School Outrages Which Appalled Parents in 2018 – Plus Tips On Navigating the New Parent Portal!
Blog · Finding the Right School

These Are the Top 10 NYC School Outrages Which Appalled Parents in 2018 – Plus Tips On Navigating the New Parent Portal!

Alina Adams1 Comment

Last year, our overview, Top 5 NYC School Issues That Enraged Parents in 2017 enumerated the posts that received the most hits during the course of the year, and speculated about what would happen in 2018. It says something about how much the Department of Education (DOE) cares about what New York City parents want… Continue reading These Are the Top 10 NYC School Outrages Which Appalled Parents in 2018 – Plus Tips On Navigating the New Parent Portal!

FAQ’s: 20 Questions NYC Parents Have About Applying To Kindergarten – Answered!
Finding the Right School

FAQ’s: 20 Questions NYC Parents Have About Applying To Kindergarten – Answered!

Alina Adams5 Comments

There is no nice way to put this: The Department of Education’s Parent Portal is an unmitigated disaster. Since it opened, I have received literally hundreds of emails from frustrated families who are having trouble registering, getting confirmation, or even logging on. Their calls to the DOE are going unanswered, requiring multiple hour wait times,… Continue reading FAQ’s: 20 Questions NYC Parents Have About Applying To Kindergarten – Answered!

Could This Change Make NYC Kindergarten Admissions Easier – Or Harder?
Finding the Right School

Could This Change Make NYC Kindergarten Admissions Easier – Or Harder?

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Are you a New York City parent applying your child to public school Kindergarten for September 2019? Congratulations! Here are just some of the forms you’ll need to fill out: Interested in a traditional zoned Kindergarten? That goes on Kindergarten Connect! (Whether it’s your zoned school or not.) Unzoned Kindergarten? Dual language Kindergarten? Magnet school?… Continue reading Could This Change Make NYC Kindergarten Admissions Easier – Or Harder?

School Choice, Mom-Shaming, and My Conversation With a Genius
Blog · School Choice

School Choice, Mom-Shaming, and My Conversation With a Genius

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Shaming is bad. Fat-shaming, skinny-shaming, slut-shaming, gender-shaming, victim-shaming, and, of course, mom-shaming. Mom-shaming is the worst. Except, of course, when it comes to school choice. Then, it’s genius! After yet another speech where she criticized all parents (New York City parents, in particular) for choosing schools they believe are best for their children, MacArthur Genius… Continue reading School Choice, Mom-Shaming, and My Conversation With a Genius

5 Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking Schools on Kindergarten Connect – And How You Can Avoid Them
Blog · Finding the Right School · School Choice

5 Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking Schools on Kindergarten Connect – And How You Can Avoid Them

Alina AdamsLeave a comment

Kindergarten Connect, the online form that New York City parents use to apply their children to Kindergarten for 2018, opened on Tuesday, November 28. It is scheduled to close on January 12, 2018. Every year, I receive frantic emails from parents who made a mistake in ranking their choices, and are now stuck with a… Continue reading 5 Mistakes Parents Make When Ranking Schools on Kindergarten Connect – And How You Can Avoid Them

Pros and Cons of Starting Accelerated Kindergarten Before Age 5: NYC Mom Tells All!
Finding the Right School · School Choice

Pros and Cons of Starting Accelerated Kindergarten Before Age 5: NYC Mom Tells All!

Alina Adams1 Comment

Hunter College Elementary School (HCES) opened its kindergarten 2018 application on Friday, September 1. Despite the misnomer of it being a Department of Education-run public school (it’s closer to a charter), HCES is considered New York City’s top gifted school. Over 2,500 Manhattan four year-olds vie for 50 kindergarten spots. Their families believe the (no-tuition) accelerated… Continue reading Pros and Cons of Starting Accelerated Kindergarten Before Age 5: NYC Mom Tells All!